Recent research has consistently shown that teacher working conditions are highly predictive of faculty turnover and student performance. However, very little work investigates specifically the experiences of foreign-language instructors. This paper reports results from a pilot survey of language teachers in public and private schools from across the United States. The responses show that, although they must meet the same training and certification requirements as other instructors, foreign-language teachers end up working under far more difficult conditions. Numerous teachers reported being responsible for an unwieldy number of students while lacking textbooks, a dedicated classroom, or time and space to prepare for classes. The results suggest that foreign-language instruction could become more effective if the working environment improves.